


Louder than words

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novel)
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-29 14:04:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20797814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: Before he met her, there was only one person he trusted more than he trusted himself.





	Louder than words

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, hello!  
I got that idea out of nowhere and had quite a different plan for this, but I'm not mad at the direction it went in. It's fluffy and warm   
Enjoy! <3

She moved with confidence through the halls of the hospital, a file in her hand as she approached the room of her next patient. She was almost done with her shift, only two hours left, and she was told by the nurses that the person she was about to meet was one of the most nice but demanding people she would ever meet. It made her feel excited and anxious at the same time, loving the challenge and wanting to be the best doctor she could be for that patient.

Opening the door with a friendly smile, she looked at her patient. A woman was lying in bed, reading a book with glasses on her nose. When she heard Claire coming in, she looked up, a pleasant smile tugging on the corners of her lips.

“Ah, you must be my doctor. Pleasure to meet you, Doctor…”

“Herondale. It’s nice to meet you Mrs… _Ramsey?_” she muttered with shock, looking up from her chart with shock written all over her face.

“Judging by your face, you know my grandson, Ethan, don’t you?” she laughed warmly as Claire nodded slightly, her gaze dropping to the floor for a moment.

Never would she have thought that she would meet Ethan’s grandmother. They have talked about their families and maybe a thought of meeting their relatives crossed their minds, but definitely not that early. Now, she didn’t have a choice, his grandmother was right before her.

Ethan didn’t talk a lot about people who raised him, but he did mention the old woman once or twice. From the way he was talking about her told Claire that he valued her opinion and how much he appreciated her being in his life.

“I sure do. He talks about you all the time, Mrs. Ramsey.”

“Oh, does he? He doesn’t keep in touch with my son or my daughter-in-law, and I think that’s mostly their fault. They didn’t try to understand him, they didn’t support him, they turned him away. It’s hard to be around people that don’t believe in you, wouldn’t you agree, Dr. Herondale?” she wondered out loud, shaking her head. “Please, sit down if you have a moment. It’s been a while since I could talk to anyone about my grandson, it’s a refreshing experience.”

“I will, right after we get you some tests and figure out what I can do for you, okay?” Claire smiled brightly, focusing on diagnosing her.

After a few minutes they had their answer, tests were ordered and both women were engaged in a deep conversation. They exchanged the small details that made Ethan the man he was, what Claire noticed and what Mrs. Ramsey could tell her, and by some miracle, the pager didn’t go off.

“He broke three plates while stealing the cake, leaving a path of icing and crumbs all the way to his room. He hid in his closet, eating what he managed to get, and when I found him he had his whole face covered in chocolate. Of course, he blamed everything on the dog, and everyone believed him. Besides me, of course, but that was our little secret.” A memory flooded her mind, bringing a smile onto her face. Claire smirked as she leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms.

“So young Ethan was a hellraiser, huh. I am _definitely_ going to remind him of that any chance I will get, you can be sure of that.” Both women laughed as their hands met in a warm embrace.

“I am so glad he has a friend like you, darling. You seem like the nicest person I’ve ever met. Makes me sad that he seems to be in love with someone else.”

That kicked the air out of Claire’s lungs. Mentions of love and her not being on the other side of it made her feel insecure all over again. So Ethan talked to his grandmother about… someone else? It all confused her, made her head spin. Mrs. Ramsey must have seen it, because she squeezed her hand a little tighter. Having made sure she was okay, she started listing things Ethan said.

“He talks a lot about her. How his heart beats faster when she is close, how her smile brightens up his day. If I recall correctly, he said that if he could, he would never leave her side… and he mentioned that he works with her. Maybe you know her? Her name is-“

“Grandma? What are you doing here?” Ethan’s voice interrupted her train of thoughts, standing by the side of her bed.

“Ethan, dear! How are you, are they treating you alright here? I know I am taken care of, Dr. Herondale is doing an amazing job. And while I am here, maybe you can introduce me to Claire? I want to meet her.” his grandma spoke, clearly not aware of the fact that she already met her.

Ethan’s eyes widened, looking to Claire, who had a look of shock combined with the biggest grin he has ever seen. At that moment he knew that he would never live this down, but if that meant that she would be by his side till the end of time to remind him of that, he was ready to endure it.

“Um, Mrs. Herondale-“

“Tana, please.” She smiled at the young doctor, only slightly confused about what was happening.

“Claire, maybe we should-“ Ethan started out hesitantly, his face twisting into the expression of a caught man as Tana gasped, delighted by the new piece of information.

“You’re Claire? Oh, what a glorious piece of news it is! I was secretly hoping it was you. I must have given you a heart attack earlier.” She laughed and Claire breathed a relieved sigh, nodding her head.

“You have no idea.”

“Wait, wait, wait. What heart attack. What did you two talk about?” his eyes jumped between the two women, completely lost. Claire smirked at him, looking up at him innocently.

“Oh, you know, childhood stories, your thoughts on me. All the good stuff, I promise.”

“Claire, dear, did I tell you about that time he painted the walls in his room black-“

“That is enough! We are terribly sorry, but we have to run, diagnostic team meeting is about to start. I’ll check on you before I leave tonight, okay?” Ethan exclaimed, taking Claire by her hand and pulling her up and away from Tana. Embarrassment was clear on his face and he was ready to do anything to help his own situation.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you the whole story later.” Tana whispered as she and Claire laughed hugging before the two doctors left the room.

Once on the hallway and far enough to ensure they would not be heard, Claire turned to a very flustered Ethan.

“There is no meeting today and you know it” she smirked as she leaned onto the wall. He closed his eyes, knowing fully well that there was no fooling her.

“You’re way too smart, Rookie. No, there isn’t. I just wanted to get you away from my grandmother, before she embarrasses me further.” He muttered, walking closer to her, their eyes locking.

“You know that it’s inevitable? I am her doctor, just look at how much she told me in those thirty minutes today. I.” she laughed, grabbing his tie. “Will.” She curled the material around her hand. “Know.” She pulled on it, hauling him onto her. “_Everything._”

Their lips met in a searing kiss, time and place they were in be damned. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. She responded immediately, her other hand gripping his hair tightly. Getting lost in each other seemed so easy when they were together, way too easy to forget the world. His lips moved down her neck, causing Claire’s eyes to open slightly, bringing some sense to her.

“Ethan…” she breathed his name, her lips curling around it softly and caringly. He hummed, continuing his ministrations on her skin, his fingers curling around her hips. “_Ethan.”_

He pulled himself away from her, purely by the force of he didn’t know he had, coming to his senses. Claire laughed gently, stroking his cheek softly as she pulled him by his hand.

“Come on, take me home.”

\---- ---- ----

Few days passed and with every moment Claire spent with Tana, more and more of Ethan’s past came to light. She appreciated all the insight she got, knowing that he didn’t give away anything willingly.

Tana’s hand was wrapped tightly around her arm as they walked through the halls slowly, their voices quiet, laughing at yet another memory. Other members of the hospital personnel didn’t pay them much attention, the sight of doctors accompanying their patients was quite common.

“So, my son was never fond of Ethan’s pranks, as you can imagine. He may be a seemingly calm and collected man that doesn’t joke, but when he was younger…” words of the elder lady amused Claire, who had quite a hard time imagining young Ethan, raising hell and giving his parents trouble.

“He said that time and time again, that he absolutely hated joking and that he isn’t the type to joke. What a liar.” Claire laughed, shaking her head as she thought of all the ways she could tease him about it.

“Did he now? You should hear about the time-“

“No. Absolutely not. You are coming with me.” Ethan’s voice pierced the air, silencing two women. His hand grabbed Claire’s, pulling her away from his grandmother and towards his office. Tana’s laughter rang after them, saying something about seeing them later.

The door closed behind them with a slam as he pressed her against it, his forehead touching hers softly. Her arms wrapped around his neck, smiling up at him gracefully.

“If I didn’t know better, I would say that you’re hiding something from me. Good that it’s just you not being able to stay away from me, right?”

Teasing him has become her favorite past time, and the way he reacted made her unable to stop. Every time she touched him or spoke to him in that low, warm voice, it made him feel all the emotions he never though he could experience. In any other circumstance, with anyone else, he would push them away, insisting that he didn’t need them. With her, it was different. With her, he wanted to try.

“There are still so many things you don’t know about me, all of them could change the way you look at me. All could be different if you listened to the stories through their eyes. I just… care about you. And I don’t want you to see me through the glasses made of my past.” He mused pensively, carefully, gauging her reaction. She pulled him to her, hugging him tightly as she whispered into his ear.

“Your past is a part of you. It’s who you are, you wouldn’t be the man you are today if past didn’t happen. Your Grandma is an amazing woman, she would never do anything to hurt you. All she told me were the storied of your childhood, which, by the way, only confirmed my suspicions.” She cut off, waiting for him to lean back and look at her. “You were the most adorable, little troublemaker to ever walk this planet.”

He scoffed as she giggled, hiding his face in her neck as she stroked his hair. They remained in this position for quite a while, breathing each other in, unable to let the other go. The more time passed, the tighter their embrace got, so much so, that at some point he lifted her into his arms, carrying her to the couch. He lied down, letting her head rest against his chest, his fingers running through her hair soothingly.

“You can tell me everything, Ethan. Or you can tell me nothing at all. It’s up to you, and I want you to know that I support and respect that, whatever you decide to do.” She muttered against the material of his shirt, her hand trailing down his arm to lace their fingers together. He hugged her tighter, letting his actions speak louder than words ever could.


End file.
